Sunday, September 6, 2009

Heady stuff

Who is he, this Yukio Hatoyama, the new prime ministerof Japan? Barely elected to office he has, according to areport in the London Times, ‘made no secret of hisdistrust of market fundamentalism.’ Apparently, too, hehas ‘strongly condemned’ global capitalism. Did we everhear newly elected John Key express such sentiments? Idon't think so. ‘We are not denying all market principles,’says Hatoyama. ‘We just don’t think market principles area fundamental necessity.’ Be still, my beating heart! Ofcourse, it remains to be seen whether Hatoyama and hisDemocratic Party really will ‘sever ties with vestedinterests [and] abandon the pork barrel,’ let alone maintainsuch an heretical attitude towards the great god market, butwhat a start. First Obama, now Hatoyama. They evenrhyme. It already begins to seem New Zealand’s misfortunethat, just as other nations are electing, well, not exactlyradical lefties but progressive liberal leaders, we elect aconservative government that lacks the imagination tothink outside the tired old paradigm of 'market-led' growth.